Life Story:
Year after CreationAge of YishmaelActivity20340Yishmael was born to Avrohom and Hagar204713First child to be circumcised (by Avrohom)204814Birth of Yitzchak????Driven from home at command of Sarah208551Akeidas Yitzchak212389Death of Avrohom2171137Yitzchak blessed Yaacov; Yaacov left home; Leah & Rochel are born; Esav marries Machalah, the daughter of Yishmael; Death of YishmaelEarly Childhood:
He was loved completely by Avram and also by Sarah (until the birth of Yitzchak). He was trained in the service of HaShem by his father. At the age of 13 he was circumcised agreeing with full knowledge. He thus considered himself greater in service of HaShem than Yitzchak who was circumcised at 8 days old. Medrash states that Yishmael acted with alacrity in serving the (Heavenly) guests.
Break with Avrohom:
Sarah sensed a problem and needed to protect her son Yitzchak. At HaShem’s direction Avrohom banished Yishamel and Hagar from his environment.
Four-way disagreement in understanding word מצחק in the verse as referring to Yishmael:
ותרא שרה את בן הגר המצרית אשר ילדה לאברהם מצחק (בראשית כא,ט)
- Rabbi Akiva – idolatry;
- Rabbi Eliezer – adultery;
- Rabbi Yehoshua – murder
- But Rabbi Shimon disagrees with them all - Chas ve'Shalom, he claims, that in the house of Avrohom there would not be someone guilty of such terrible sins. Consequently, he explains 'metzacheik' literally as mocking; Yishmael was mocking Yitzchak (attempting an inferiority complex?).
How old was Yishmael at the time of the banishment?
- 14 years old – After the party for the bris of Yitzchak at eight days old.
- 15 years old – Medrash that Yishmael started to imitate the activities of people in the surrounding culture.
- 16 years old – After the party for the weaning of Yitzchak (at 24 months old).
- 17 years old – After the party for Yitzchak entering into learning Torah at three years old. (Avrohom had recognized HaShem at the age of three).
- Less than 20 – Zohar states one is not subject to punishment from the Heavenly court until the age of 20.
- 27 years old – After the party of Yitzchak for his bar mitzvah (when he was weaned from the yetzer haRa).
Yishmael performs Teshuvah:
Bereshis 25,9: "Va'yik'b'ru oso Yitzchak v'Yishmael banov" - The Gemara Bava Basra 16b says that Yishmael repented for his bad ways, as indicated by this verse, where Yitzchak is mentioned before Yishmael, indicating that Yishmael allowed Yitzchak to take the lead in the activities surrounding the burial of Avrohom, and did not insist that he, Yishmael, be given priority by virtue of being older. How is this an act of repentance for earlier wrongdoing? Horav Yaakov Yoseif Herman of "All for the Boss" fame answers that the Ramban (Bereshis 21,9) explains that “metzacheik" means that Yishmael belittled and ridiculed Yitzchak, reminding him that he, Yishmael, was the firstborn, and that he would therefore receive a double portion of their father's inheritance. Thus, at the burial by Yishmael's giving Yitzchak proper honor, he repented for his previous negative behavior.
The Meshech Chochmoh states that Avrohom made a festive meal upon the occasion of Yitzchak being weaned. Yishmael's scoffing in the next verse refers to this festive meal Avrohom gave. Yishmael mocked, saying that Yitzchak was not the son of Avrohom, but rather, the son of Avimelech, a result of the happenings related in chapter 20. Thus when he included Yitzchak in the burial activities of Avrohom, this was an act of repentance, as he clearly rescinded his previous opinion, rather than saying that Yitzchak was truly the son of Avrohom and had the proper right to be involved with the burial of Avrohom.
The example of Yishmael is also reflected in Jewish history. In Shmuel II, 17,25, Isra is called the Yisraeli; whereas in Divrei haYamim I 2,17 he is referred to as the Yishmaeli. The Gemara (Yevamos 77a) asserts that he was called Yishmaeli as a result of an incident in which he acted like Yishmael in which he showed his sword in order to demonstrate the correct path of HaShem.
When Shaul’s supporters sought to disqualify Dovid from the kingship on account of his Moabite ancestry (Torah law forbids an Ammoni or a Moavi from converting to Judaism). Isra girded in sword in the Bais Medrash (where in general weapons were not allowed) and threatened to kill anyone who denied the tradition from the prophet Shmuel that the Torah’s prohibition regarding an Ammoni or Moavi only applied to the males (and not the females). Consequently, Dovid who traced his ancestry from the Moabitess, Rus, was declared acceptable and was eligible to become the King. (The stated tradition from Shmuel decided in Dovid’s favor, not the action of the sword; however, this Yishmael type of action of drawing the sword worked to allow the presentation of the tradition.)
When did Yishmael do Teshuvah?
Probably he had already done Teshuvah at the time of Akeidas Yitzchak. The Medrash tells us that the two men that accompanied Avrohom were Eliezer and Yishmael. Thus, he must have already done Teshuvah and was allowed to return to Avrohom.
Further, the Medrash tells us that when HaShem told Avrohom to take his son, Avrohom had asked “which son”, since he loved them both. Thus, Avrohom could no longer have considered Yishmael as having gone astray at that time.
Possible lesson from the life of Yishmael:
Yishmael was banished from his house by his loving father, Avrohom, the epitome of chessed. Initially he must have thought his father was a fraud, putting on a charade for the world. He was faced with lifelong bitterness fueled by the lack of compassion from his father for his own offspring.
Eventually Yishmael came to a different conclusion. His father was truly a man of chessed. He concluded his actions (in how he behaved to Yitzchak) reflected a weakness in his own character and thus, he had no one to blame but himself. This began a process of introspection which lead to remorse and change of character and actions. He accepted his own role in serving HaShem and supporting the leadership of the younger brother. His acceptance was reflected in naming his daughter Machalah (forgiven) and offering her to Esav as a wife providing Esav the same opportunity to do Teshuvah.
Yishmael’s offspring even though not Jewish, have a role to play in serving HaShem. They can also overcome their natural character and accept the leadership of their younger brother.
